Ripe bananas are my lifeline to sweetening many things naturally, including sugar-free, dairy-free ice cream. I make sure to always have some peeled, frozen bananas in the freezer for instant ice cream and thick, creamy smoothies.
The trick to having instant banana ice cream is to have a good supply of frozen ripe, peeled bananas. Once you have your supply in place, you can treat yourself to the basic banana soft serve ice cream, as well as a wider range of possibilities. I’ll share another favorite soon (hint: it involves chocolate). For now, here’s a creamy, mellow, naturally sweetened ice cream treat for any time of day or night.
You can add pumpkin ice cream to pies as well, or in between two ginger snap cookies. Some of the recipe testers added a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey. For me, if my bananas are ripe and sweet enough and my butternut squash is baked until soft and creamy, I don’t need additional sweetener.
Pumpkin Ice Cream {no-churn}
No need for an ice cream maker here—just a food processor or blender on a low speed, which makes me very happy because even though I have an ice cream maker, blender ice cream (no-churn) is a much faster, and therefore I have almost immediate gratification. There is prep involved though, so I make sure to always have frozen bananas and pumpkin purée in the freezer.
Some recipe testers preferred adding 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey to the ice cream while processing it. I’ll leave that up to you, but I’ve found there’s no need to add sweetener when the bananas and butternut squash are sweet enough. If you’re using canned pumpkin you’ll most likely want to sweeten the ice cream with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, honey, or your preferred sweetener.
Another addition I sometimes make is a pinch of salt (up to 1/8 teaspoon). Again, up to you and your taste buds.
As for the milk, I prefer full-fat coconut milk but any milk will work.
Ingredients
- 6 cubes (140 g or about 1 cup) frozen pumpkin purée (recipe below)
- 2 peeled, sliced frozen bananas (150 g)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut milk or other milk
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (recipe below) or ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Method
- Let the frozen bananas and squash sit at room temperature for a few minutes to defrost a bit.
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor, or high-speed blender on a low setting, and pulse until creamy—about a minute or so.
- Consume immediately as soft-serve ice cream. You can also freeze it for later. To eat later, defrost for a several minutes to soften before serving.
Servings: 4
Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Combine all the spices in a bowl and whisk to blend. Store sealed for a few months.
Frozen Pumpkin Purée Cubes
I use roasted butternut squash because I find it is the sweetest, but you can also use canned pumpkin purée.
- 2 cups (300 g) pumpkin purée
- ice cube tray
Prepare the pumpkin purée, and then spoon the pumpkin purée into ice cube trays. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
That looks really nice. Could you use butternut squash instead? In Ireland we can only get pumpkins for Halloween.
Rebecca, that’s what I prefer to use, so you’re good to go!
Have you tried sweet potatoes? I’m just wondering since they are sweet and similar consistency.
not yet, but that’s a great idea! If it seems too thick just add some more milk or some water.
Yum! I can’t wait to try this ASAP! Thanks for the recipe and the variations of squash that can be used!
Yes, although you’ll want to use sweet squash to avoid needing too much sweetener. Enjoy!
Is there something else that can be used besides bananas? I can’t eat bananas due to mold and latex content in bananas.
sorry, not for this recipe